Acknowledgment is calming..

Do you feel good, when someone acknowledges or appreciates your work??

Do you feel bad, when no one acknowledges or appreciates your work?

Well! This definitely was the case with me.?

It used to make me feel very happy when anyone would say anything positive about my work. And, it used to feel terrible when my efforts would go unacknowledged. This used to also at times affect my motivation to take up new tasks and initiatives.?

Some months back, Amu (Ms. Pratibha Malhotra), asked me to do a daily writing exercise at the end of the day. This exercise was to make a list of “all that felt good during my day”.?In a few days of doing it regularly, I noticed that my way of looking at myself, my day, and my life started changing.?

This whole process helped me in understanding a few things:?

• Most of us have grown up hearing more about our mistakes than about the good that we do and this makes our minds conditioned to find faults in ourselves.?

When I started to consciously note down the “good things” of the day, it made me realize that mostly 80% of my day actually feels good, while earlier my focus would only go to the 20% that hadn’t gone well.?

• I started noticing how even in the smallest of tasks, there’re so many minute details that one works on.

The end result actually is hardly ever representative of the intricacies that one handles during any project/task. And.. it is only the one who does it, can know. So, actually, it is only you, yourself, who can truly acknowledge each step that you take on the job/task.?

• “You get what you give out.” It is about the “energy vibration” that each one holds. If one is proud and confident about one’s work, then the other person also feels the same about it. But, if one is doubtful, then, there are higher chances that the other will also feel unsure about your work.?

Once I understood this, before sending out anything, I started checking within “Am I feeling sure of it?” and this question, many times showed me the exact thing, that I could improve upon. And, so,?after making the required changes, I would send my work with full conviction.?

• Consciously changing the focus from others’ viewpoint to one’s own viewpoint.

Every time, the question “Will the other person like it or not?” used to come to my mind, I would change it to “How do I feel about it?” This helped me in taking ownership of my work, which involved giving honest feedback to myself and not depending on others for it.?

Pausing a few times during the day to just say to yourself that “I’m doing well” helps in shifting the gears of one’s day.??

Acknowledging oneself is recognizing one’s qualities, valuing them, and expressing these through one’s work. Being appreciative of who you’re, lets one recognize the good not just in themselves, but in everyone and everything around.?